Justice: The perennial concern and our worries

Amar Yumnam *

Justice has always been a concern for human beings all along. Primordial people too were engaged on the meaning and approaches to establish justice as they perceive it. This is evident from the various stories of gods and goddesses, and the numerous tussles between evil and good in these stories. Goodness, truthfulness and welfare enhancements have always been considered to be innate qualities of justice.

Modern Concerns: However modern preoccupation with the issues of justice and articulation of views in this regard can be traced with the evolution of theories of state formation. For Instance, in his introductory note to the celebrated work on Social Contract, Jean Jacques Rousseau writes wonderfully thus: "I wish to inquire whether, taking men as they are and laws as they can be made, it is possible to establish some just and certain rule of administration in civil affairs. In this investigation I shall always strive to reconcile what right permits with what interest prescribes, so that justice and utility may not be severed." Since then, justice has remained at the core of analysis of all social scientists. This got the much needed booster when Rawls published his much acclaimed work in 1971 declaring justice as "the first virtue of social institutions". The world has now reached a stage that it now is a concern officially established at the global level.

From this year onwards, the world celebrates February 20 as the International Justice Day.
I understand that this went absolutely unnoticed in Manipur both at the official and public level. Nevertheless, during this very period the State has been crying for justice of a kind following the cruel killing of a young bureaucrat and two of his subordinates. Treating this particular case as the take-off point of debate and articulation, and also given the fact that justice should now be a central objective of policy making so much so that a day is now devoted in a year throughout the world, we now need to be engaging ourselves with the prevailing situation in Manipur.

Justice for Murder: I understand that the very proximate issue of establishing justice for murder involves two opposing organizations, one the existing state and another rebelling against the existing state. Well, whatever the side, we are aware that they both lack credibility as of this time. The state and her judiciary as have been experienced by the people over the years have not been one without any room for suspicion for advertent derailment of justice. The non-state organization, on the other side, has not established itself as absolutely credible particularly in the background of story of handling of such murder cases in the recent past.

Even with this reality of lack of credibility on both sides, I would still vouch for the justice established through the judicial system of the prevailing state. What is important is not just the following of due process of low, but doing it in such a way as to be accountable and visible to the masses in the republic as well. Every instance of establishment of justice should be a lesson for intending criminals and a reassurance for the general members of the social republic. Only this way can the procedure of establishing justice can serve as one of the foundations for s sustainable society.

Equality for Children: Another area where I would like the present state and society of Manipur to engage actively is the establishment of equality among all the children in the State. We now observe that with the education structure becoming increasingly costly and the economy somehow not growing as needed (despite the claims of venerable Mani Shankar Aiyar), the inequality is becoming increasingly pronounced in the education sector; a simple look at the drop-out scenario in the State would establish this. We need to urgently identify the effort or the circumstance hindrances towards establishing equality of opportunities for children.

Justice for Women: Manipur claims to be the place where women enjoy a kind and level of social space unlike in the other places of India. The society too presumably has been giving admitted recognition of the economic role women play in our society. But look at any of the areas - spatial, activity and policy - we have never bothered to facilitate their expression of involvement and contribution. A look at any of the market places, a view of any of the traffic points, an examination of any of the transportation structure and what not would establish beyond dispute the absolute lack of justice in the political-economic treatment of the women in a way clearly contradicting the admitted social face of women's role.

While these are some major issues of justice, the members of the society do live with daily with multiples of other injustices. We live with developmental injustices, we bear the constant tortures of corruption, and we undergo mental and material harassments emanating from different directions. Well, it is now high time all in the society endeavour to apply mind and efforts collectively to somehow establish a semblance of justice in the polity, society and economy. Delay in this regard would be even more dangerous.